UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


REPORT  OF  THE  SPECIAL  COMMITTEE 


ON   THE 


MORRILL  COLLEGE  AID  ACT 


TO    THE    BOARD    OF     REGENTS    OF    THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA: 

Your  Special  Committee  on  the  appropriation  of  the 
fund  provided  by  the  new  Morrill  Act  reports  as  fol- 
lows : 

I.  The    committee    has    sent     to    the    Alameda 
County  delegation  in  the  Legislature  the  draft  of  an 
act  accepting  the   new   fund,,  necessary   to  secure  the 
benefit  of  this   Congressional  grant,   and   such  an  act 
will  doubtless  be  passed. 

II.  In  considering  the   proper  distribution  of  the 
amount  from  this  fund  already   available,  your  com- 
mittee has  been  guided  by   the   following  principles  : 

1.  This  new  grant,  like  the  Morrill  grant  which  it 
supplements,  is  intended   chiefly   for  the  direct  bene- 
fit of  the  Colleges  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts. 
But  the  terms  of  the  new   act  specify  also  u  the  Eng- 
lish language  and  the  various  branches  of  mathemati- 
cal, physical,  natural  and  economic  science."    There- 
fore it  is  the  opinion  of  your  committee  that  the  Act 
should  not  receive   a   narrow  interpretation,  but  that 
there  should  be  a  comprehensive  view  of  all  the  de- 
partments which   have    "  applications  in   the  indus- 
tries of  life."      And   so  statements  of  existing  needs 
have  been   received   from   seven  of  the  Professors  in 
the  Faculties  of  Science  and   from  the   Professor  of 
English. 

2.  This  fund  is   intended   to  provide  new  facilities 
and   appliances,    and    not    to    pay    for  those  already 
existing. 

It  looks  toward  a  more  rapid  expansion  than  would 
result  from  the  natural  growth  of  the  Colleges  already 
established. 


3.  As  has  been  suggested  by  the  Association  of 
American  Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experiment 
Stations,  the  first  payment  of  $15,000  should  be  re- 
garded as  an  equipment  fund,  not  to  be  used  for 
salaries. 

Your  committee  has  therefore  assigned  this  $15,000 
entirely  to  the  side  of  equipment. 

The  $16,000,  of  the  second  payment,  may  fairly 
be  regarded  as  a  salary  fund  for  current  expenses. 
But  as  the  year  is  so  far  advanced,  only  a  portion  of 
this  amount  can  be  used  for  salaries  ;  and  the  residue 
should,  in  the  opinion  of  the  committee,  be 
reserved  for  use  011  the  side  of  equipment. 

Bearing  these  principles  in  mind,  your  committee 
recommends  such  an  apportionment  of  the  two  pay- 
ments as  is  indicated  in  the  following  schedule  : 

EQUIPMENT.  SALARIES. 

College  of  Agriculture $  2,850.00     $  3,800.00 

College  of  Mechanics    .    ...  6,800.00  3,200.00 

College  of  Mining 2,680.00  1,320.00 

College  of  Civil  Engineer- 
ing    250.00  1,500.00 

College  of  Chemistry 500.00  1,500.00 

Department  of  Mathematics  1,200.00 

Department  of  Botany ...    .  980.00  1,020.00 

Totals , $15,260.00     $12,340.00 

Your  committee  also  recommends  that  special 
courses  of  lectures  be  provided  by  the  College  of 
Agriculture,  and,  aided  by  this  new  fund,  said  lec- 
tures to  be  given  daily  for  a  short  period,  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  those  who  cannot  attend  the  longer 
courses  of  the  College. 

Your  committee  regards  the  specification  as  to  the 
English  language  as  one  of  much  importance,  and 


recommends  that  in  the  near  future  an  allotment  of 
$1,800  per  annum  be  made  for  an  Assistant  Professor 
of  English,  whose  work  shall  be  especially  adapted 
to  the  needs  of  the  students  in  the  Colleges  of  Sci- 
ence. 

Calling  attention,  now,  to  the  details  of  the  appro- 
priations in  the  foregoing  schedule,  yonr  committee 
recommends  : 

(i).  The  adoption  of  the  following  explanatory  res- 
olutions concerning  the  Departments  of  Agriculture 
and  Horticulture  : 

Resolved,  \.  That  in  compliance  with  the  request  of  the 
State  Grange  for  the  appointment  of  a  lecturer  to  take  charge  of 
the  holding  of  "  Farmers'  Institutes"  in  the  various  agricultural 
centers  of  this  State,  Mr.  E.  J.  Wickson,  the  present  lecturer  on 
Agriculture  and  Horticulture,  is  hereby  appointed  to  organize  and 
carry  into  effect  a  system  of  farmers'  meetings,  substantially  simi- 
lar to  that  already  in  operation  in  Wisconsin  and  other  agri- 
cultural states,  with  such  modifications  as  the  peculiar  conditions 
existing  in  California  may  render  expedient ;  and  Mr.  Wicksou  is 
requested  and  instructed  to  report  to  the  chairman  of  the  faculties 
a  suitable  plan  and  regulations  for  that  purpose,  including  the  en- 
listment of  other  speakers  from  the  University  faculties,  and 
from  the  ranks  of  practical  agriculturists  as  may  be  found  feasible. 

2.  That  as  in  view  of  the  relatively  sparse  population  of  this 
State,  it  is  presumable  that  only  a  portion  of  Mr.  Wickson's  time 
will  be  thus  occupied  ;  and  in  view,  farther,  of  the  difficulty  of  pro- 
viding competent  instruction  in  the  branches  of  agriculture  now 
taught  by  Mr.  Wickson   at   the   University   in  their  application  to 
our  peculiar  climatic  conditions,  he  is  continued  in  charge  of  such 
instruction,   with  such  assistance   and   necessary    changes   in  the 
order  of  giving  said  courses,  as  may  be   required  to  maintain  their 
efficiency,  and  as  may  be  provided  and  authorized  by  the  Board  of 
Regents,  and  his  present  title  is    changed   to  that  of  "Associate 
Professor  of  Agriculture,  Horticulture  and  Entomology." 

3.  That  in  order  to  relieve  the  cumulation  of  duties  now  ex- 
isting, and  to  better  provide  for  the  work  required  in  the  economic 
entomology  of  the   State,  there   is   hereby   created   the  position  of 
"Assistant  in    Entomology"    to   the   Associate   Professor  of  that 
branch,  whose  duty   shall  be  to  give  instruction  in  entomology 
to  such   extent   as   directed   by   the   Associate   Professor,  and   to 
prosecute  researches  with  special  reference  to  noxious  and  useful 


insects.  A  salary  not  exceeding  $1,800  per  year,  to  be  paid  out 
of  the  lately  created  fund  for  the  better  endowment  of  the  Colleges 
of  Agriculture  and  the  Mechanic  Arts,  is  appropriated  for  this 
purpose. 

4.  That  in  order  to  provide  for  the  more  prompt  carrying  out  of 
work  in  the  agricultural  laboratory,  which  now  is  largely  in  excess 
of  the  possibilities  of  the  working  force,  and  months  in  arrears  ; 
and  also  to  relieve  the  director  of  the  numerous  details  which  now 
prevent  his  timely  attention  to  the  elaboration  of  plans  and  reports  : 
Dr.  R.  H.  Loughridge,  heretofore  Professor  of  Agriculture  at  the 
University   of   South    Carolina,    is   appointed   to   the  position    of 
"  Assistant  in  Agricultural  Geology  and  Agricultural  Chemistry," 
under  the  direction  of  the   Professor  of  Agriculture.     His  salary 
shall  be  $2,000  per  annum,  payable  out  of  the  same  fund. 

5.  That   all  the   persons   or   officers   hereinbefore   mentioned 
shall  act  in  the  double  capacity  of  lecturers  or  instructors  and  of 
officers  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  in  such   manner 
as  may  be  expedient,  and  determined  by  the  Professor  of  Agricul- 
ture and  Director  of  the  station,  in  concert  with  the  President  of 
the  University  or  chairman  of  the  faculties.     They  may  be  called 
upon  to  participate  in  the  Farmers'  Institutes,  and  their  expenses 
incurred  while  doing  so,  as  well  as  those  of  other  lecturers  that 
may  be  called  in,  shall  be  paid  out  of  the  fund  already  referred  to, 
under  the  same  rules  as  now  govern  the  traveling  expenses  of  the 
Director,  Inspector  of  Stations  and  other  officers  of  the  Experi- 
ment  Station.     For   the   payment  of  such  expenses   a   sum   not 
exceeding  one  thousand   dollars  per  annum  is  hereby  set  apart, 
from  the  same  funds. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  first  of  the  foregoing  reso- 
lutions that,  while  Professor  Wickson's  salary  would 
still  be  paid  from  the  old  fund,  the  work  proposed  for 
him  is  mostly  new,  and  in  direct  response  to  the  call 
for  practical  instruction  in  agriculture. 

It  is  to  be  noted,  also,  that  Professor  Hilgard  urges 
the  need  of  a  plant  house,  costing  $6,000.  This  re- 
quest, as  also  one  for  $500  for  changes  in  the  present 
buildings,  the  committee  judges  to  be  outside  the 
limitations  of  the  new  fund,  but  recommends  to  the 
favorable  consideration  of  the  Board  : 

(2.)  To  the  College  of  Mechanics  your  committee 
has  allotted  the  large  equipment  item  of  $6,800. 


5 

The  chief  need  seems  to  be  the  full  establishment 
of  a  department  of  electrical  and  hydraulic  engi- 
neering. At  present  the  College  can  lay  no  claim  to 
having  an  adequate  plant  or  apparatus. 

The  rooms  occupied  by  this  College  are  too  few 
and  small  for  this  new  development.  Years  ago  the 
Legislature  was  ready  to  appropriate  $12,000  to  this 
College  for  an  additional  building  ;  but  just  then  the 
one  cent  tax  act  in  favor  of  the  University  was 
passed,  and  all  special  appropriations  were  dropped. 
Since  then  the  College  has  asked  in  vain  for  a  new 
building,  the  need  for  which  has  become  very  press- 
ing- 
Presuming  that  this  need  will  soon  be  recognized 
by  the  Board,  and  met  from  the  general  fund,  your 
committee  recommends  that  this  sum  of  $6,800  be 
expended  in  the  purchase  of  a  stationary  plant  and 
apparatus  for  the  hydraulic  and  electrical  department 
of  the  laboratory. 

(3.)  The  allotment  to  the  College  of  Mines  is  needed 
now  and  can  be  put  to  immediate  use. 

(4.)  For  the  College  of  Civil  Engineering  the  only- 
salary  proposed  is  for  an  Instructor  in  free  hand, 
topographical  and  architectural  drawing,  which  the 
committee  deems  a  very  reasonable  request. 

(5.)  To  the  College  of  Chemistry  your  committee 
allots  one  new  salary,  that  of  an  Instructor,  to  aid 
in  the  development  of  a  science  which  has  many 
"applications  in  the  industries  of  life."  The  $500 
for  equipment  will  help  toward  the  same  result. 

(6.)  The  sum  assigned  to  the  Department  of 
Mathematics  is  needed  chiefly  for  models,  as  described 
in  the  accompanying  pamphlets. 

(7.)  The  allotment  to  the  Department  of  Botany 
contemplates  the  beginning  of  a  botanic  garden,  the 
great  need  of  which  is  clearly  shown  in  the  statement 
of  Professor  Greene. 


The  sums  thus  apportioned  amount  for  equipment 
to  $15,260,  for  salaries  to  $12,340,  making  a  total  of 
$27,600,  out  of  the  $31,000  placed  at  our  disposal. 

The  balance,  $3,400,  and  a  large  part  of  the  salary 
fund  for  the  current  year  may  constitute  a  reserve 
fund  to  be  chiefly  used  for  equipment. 

In  closing  its  report  your  committee  makes  the 
suggestion  that  all  appointments  below  the  grade  of 
Associate  Professor,  made  by  the  Board  of  Regents  in 
executing  this  new  trust,  be  made  for  the  period  of 
one  year. 

We  recommend  that  a  separate  set  of  books  of  ac- 
count be  kept  in  detail  of  all  receipts  and  disburse- 
ments under  this  Act. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

J.  F.   HOUGHTON, 

CEO.   T.    MARYE,  JR.,    }>  Committee. 

ARTHUR  RODGERS, 

March,  1891. 


NON-CIRCULATING  BOOK 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


